2013 Porsche Cayenne GTS

Porsche adds another V-8 Cayenne flavor.

To make sure you’re well aware that you’re in the presence of a special engine, Porsche has added a so-called sound symposer. Similar to what the Volkswagen GTI or BMW Z4 has been using for years, it works a lot like an ear horn and pumps engine sound into the cabin. A tube funnels the intake vibrations (noise) into a chamber in the A-pillar. Press the sport button next to the shifter, and all the barks, farts, and guttural sounds from the big V-8 will delight your children and possibly horrify your significant other.

In Europe, the GTS’s chassis is dropped by nearly an inch versus the S’s. In the States, we’ll only get a three-quarter-inch drop. (Drop it any lower, and the feds would call it a car, not a truck, which likely would lead to classification problems with the EPA.) A wider rear track is due to wheels with different offsets that put them nearly flush with the fenders. The adjustable air suspension is standard, as is PASM, Porsche’s electronically adjustable damper system. As on the Turbo, the GTS’s all-wheel-drive system has a set front-to-rear torque split of 40/60 in normal conditions. If slip is detected, all the torque can be sent to the front or to the rear. Porsche’s torque-vectoring system (PTV), which clamps individual rear brakes to help steer the Cayenne through corners, is standard. The optional active anti-roll bars (PDCC) keep the GTS eerily flat through corners.

In a vehicle estimated to weigh 5000 pounds, it’s strange not to get any sensation of body roll in something this tall. Much to our amazement, the Cayenne checks off all the basic virtues of a sports car. It’s stable under cornering pressure, there’s lots of grip, the brakes are strong, and it entertains without trying to kill. You just happen to be sitting way off the ground. The steering is heavy, but it builds slightly with cornering loads. Despite a loss in overall suspension travel, the ride is comfortable as long as the active shocks are left in the softest setting. It’s when you dial in sportier settings that you begin to significantly feel road imperfections.

Inside, the Cayenne is all about comfort. As in the Turbo, leather covers every reasonable part of the interior. For the unreasonable, Porsche will cover air-vent slats and probably even the gauge needles in cowhide. The seats are thronelike, thickly padded, and extremely supportive. Synthetic suede covers the headliner. The GTS cabin is a remarkably soft and happy place, even without any pink spoons to brighten it up. Speaking of, our unrelentingly black-on-black GTS made us think of squid-ink ice cream. That’s another preference that definitely requires a sample.